This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. This section also provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The invisible hinge of the present teachings is generally of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,687,271 issued on Oct. 9, 1928 to J. Soss. The advantages of the invisible hinge of the type noted are well known in the art. However, in some applications, it is desirable that the hinge be self-closing. A self-closing structure for such a hinge is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,280 issued on Oct. 17, 1961 to J. P. Stein. That structure, however, utilizes a complex hydraulic piston and spring combination in which regulation of the closure and latching rates are controlled via adjustable valves. The valves are a part of the hydraulic mechanism which is mounted in a cavity in the associated member of the door and wall combination. The valves, however, require an enlarged cavity portion enclosed by a removable cover plate which must be removed for access and replaced. In the present teachings a simple hinge closure structure is provided utilizing a spring and an adjustment rod. The adjustment rod is selectively operable for varying the compression of the spring whereby the rate of closure can be adjusted. One end of the adjustment rod is fixed to and easily, externally accessible at one of the hinge members. The adjustment rod has an end structure such that it can be threaded more or less into a cooperating member by a common tool, i.e. Allen wrench, screw driver, etc. whereby the adjustment can be made. Thus the present teachings provides a simple self-closing invisible hinge construction in which the closure rate can be selectively adjusted by a readily, externally accessible member.
According to the principles of the present teachings, a new and unique self-closing invisible hinge is provided having a construction by which the closure force can be selectively adjustable by means readily accessible and external from the associated door and/or wall.
According to the principles of the present teachings, a new and unique self-closing invisible hinge is provided utilizing the compression of a spring to provide the closure force, whereby with the magnitude of the spring compression and hence closure force is selectively variable through a member readily, externally accessible at the hinge.
Moreover, more recently, there has been an increasing interest in providing and/or supplying electricity to articles, devices, or systems disposed on or in various closures. For example, many closures today employ electronic locking devices that rely on electrical power for operation and wired connection to a central system for communication (i.e. key-card hotel locks, fingerprint recognition systems, and the like). Because of this interest, the present teachings provide a self-closing invisible hinge structure that is further capable of routing, protecting, and housing electrical and/or communication-type wiring therethrough.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.